P concolor
by misterreese
Summary: Adam is tasked with collecting stray cattle when he becomes injured. On the trip home he makes an unexpected friend.


AN: My first Bonanza story. I didn't really plan anything for this, I sorta just wrote what ever came to mind. Sorry if it is sporadic!

* * *

The winter breeze started rolling in, chilling the air despite the fact that the sun was shining bright overhead. Adam Cartwright was out rounding up the stray cattle that had gotten free through an opening in the old fence. It wasn't his favorite thing to do as there were other things needing his attention back on the Ponderosa, but it was his turn for the task. Hoss and Little Joe disliked the chore as much as he, meaning there was no way that Adam was going to pawn the deed off on his younger brothers. Positioning his hat to keep the setting sun from his eyes, Adam pressed on. The task of collecting wayward cattle wasn't enjoyable but it could be easy.

More often than not the steers always ended up in the same place. There was a meadow that apparently had alluring greens and the cows would go straight there. The only tricky part was getting to the pasture. It was through some rough rock faces and quick drop offs, but once those obstacles were cleared it was easy riding. That was of course until one had to drive the cattle back over that portion of the trail. It was getting later than Adam liked, if he stopped now the lose cattle as they would probably have moved by morning. But he was weary about traversing the trial in a low-light situation. Considering his options, he lightly kicked Sport in the sides to advance forward. He didn't want to risk losing the strays to natural predators, Indians or some people willing to capitalize on the seemingly free heads of stock.

Sport trotted along and Adam sipped the stale tasting, but refreshingly cool water from his canteen. The ride became a bit tough in a few spots and Adam had to dismount to guide his horse through some of the rough patches. The quiet sounds of nightfall started to play as Adam reached the easier part of the trail. Tree frogs, crickets, owls and the distant coyote harmonized to create a natural symphony. As Adam continued with Sport, the horse stopped in its track and whinnied. Tugging at his reins, Adam attempted to get the horse moving but the animal had been spooked by something. "Oh, come on will ya?" Adam said as he turned to the beast and patted its strong neck muscles. "There's nothing there." He added, giving Sport a stern look as if he were a child.

Despite his best efforts Sport would not budge. With a perked brow, the eldest Cartwright brother scanned the area; trying to locate what scared the horse. "You're just a big scaredy-cat, it's just you and I out here." Adam said carrying on a one sided conversation. In a better attempt to get Sport moving, Adam put his foot in the stirrup and swung his other leg over. He dug his heels into his horse's sides once again but it was as if the animal's hooves were super glued to the earth beneath them. Releasing a frustrated sigh, Adam almost considered leaving Sport right where he was and continuing on himself. A fleeting thought it was, as it would have been ridiculous to leave his horse behind. As it was going to be at least another half day's ride to get to the pasture that might have the cattle.

Just as Adam was about to curse at his horse there was a rustling in the bushes just ahead. As he reached for his revolver, he realized that the land had gone quiet. The crickets and tree frogs were in an extended rest, creating a suspenseful eeriness as Adam dismounted once more. Staying close to the mass of his horse, Adam peered around the nose of the animal. The sound of a twig snapping caused his body to tense up and his finger to constrict tighter around the trigger of his gun. He almost fired when the animal appeared from the shrubs, but he soon smiled when it turned out to be a hare. Adam chuckled as he holstered his weapon and turned to look at Sport. "This is what you were worried about? A rabbit?" He shook his head as he patted Sport's shoulder. "I'm gonna have to trade you in for a braver horse if a silly bunny rabbit is going to scare you."

Going to climb back into the saddle, another animal burst from the bushes, but this time it was a beast worthy of being scared about. A large cougar pounced at Sport, causing him to rear up. Adam lost his grip and fell to the ground. His horse neighed so loudly it sounded like he was screaming as the cougar held low to the ground and snarled. Slightly disoriented from the fall, Adam shook his head and reached for his gun but found that his holster was empty. Quickly, he scanned the area for his revolver but couldn't see it in the dust that Sport was kicking up in his excited state. The mountain lion went to strike again, sending Sport's front legs into their air as he went on his back two. Adam had to roll out of the way to avoid being trampled by his own horse. The maneuver landed him precariously close to one of the drop offs of the trail. Looking over his shoulder Adam spotted a glint of metal, his gun had fallen over the edge to an outcropping below.

The ledge couldn't have been more than fifteen feet away, but Adam knew he wasn't going to able to retrieve the weapon. His head snapped back to the two animals when he heard the cougar released a squeal, Sport had kicked the large cat in the head. Instead of sending it back into the wilderness it became enraged but changed sites from the large horse to the easier human target. Adam was scrambling to get to his feet when the cougar leaped and landed on his center mass.

The burning of the cat's claws through his thighs was intense. Adam reached out and held gripped the cougar around the neck to prevent its deadly teeth from biting him. As it snarled, Adam was sprayed with a light mist of warm saliva and assaulted with the rancid breath caused from a feast of dead animals. One of the cougar's front paws swiped and sliced three gashes into Adam's cheek and he knew that he had very little chance against this two hundred pound animal that was crushing his chest.

In a rash attempt to win this losing battle, Adam punched the cougar in the face and quickly shifted his weight to the right as he did so. The maneuver worked, Adam and the large feline both went over the side of the cliff.

* * *

Unsure of what was going on, Adam slowly blinked his eyes open. It was completely dark, save for the twinkling of the distant and cold stars. Attempting to get his bearings, Adam felt around. His hand landed on something hard and cold and he realized that it was his gun. He was on that ledge that he had seen earlier. His mind trudged through the dense fog that was reluctant to lift, he was struggling to explain to himself why he was laying on this ledge. He then heard a sad sounding yowl from below, it was a cougar. His mind went into over drive as he realized he had been attacked by the animal that was injured somewhere below him. Adam went to sit up but his entire body rebelled against the idea. A groan escaped his lips.

Taking a stock of his body, Adam started from his head and went down. There was the burning in his cheek where the cougar had struck him but that wasn't what was in the forefront of his brain. Nothing seemed wrong with his neck as he cautiously moved his head about, nor his shoulders. There was definitely something out of place with his left arm, as it was completely unresponsive at any attempt to move on its own. Using his good hand, Adam started at the shoulder and slowly moved down. His fingers became wet and sticky and he cried out. His upper arm was completely busted. Adam was partially thankful for the darkness that surrounded him. As he could feel the bone unnaturally protruding through his skin and he wasn't sure what his reaction would have been if he could see it.

After taking a few moments to even his breathing he went on. His chest was sore and as he took a deep breath he was certain that a few of his ribs were cracked if not broken. Nothing else seemed too unbearable, even the gashes that were left in his legs. Adam took the next few minutes to situate himself upright. The jostling of his arm almost caused himself to blackout but he took some deep breaths and worked through the pain that was gripping his mind like being electrocuted.

Bending his busted arm at the elbow, Adam brought it in close to his chest and held it there. Waiting for the bright light behind his eyes to subside. Carefully he removed his belt and wrapped it around his torso and over his shoulder, fastening the buckle in the front to form a make-shift sling. The sturdy leather accessory held the weight of his arm and alleviated some of the pressure and pain in his humerus.

Adam obtained his gun and held it in his hand, he wished that he had never lost it. He could have just shot the cougar before it attacked him and been on his way. He suddenly wondered if Sport was still on the trail above him. "Sport," He tried calling out but his injured ribs prevented him from raising his voice above normal speaking level. His head rested against the loose rock behind him and his eyelids grew heavy in the darkness. As he sat alone in his thoughts, the silence was pierced by the pathetic sounds of his injured attacker.

"Oh shut up, you don't hear me complaining," Adam said more to himself as he leaned forwards in attempt to look over the edge. Even though his eyes had more than adjusted to the lack of light, there still wasn't enough to illuminate any sort of shapes below him. In fact, Adam had no way of telling how far down the cliff dropped or how far away the mountain lion was. He only hopped it was far enough away that if the hurt cries attracted other cougars or any other sort of creature, he was high enough to not be noticed.

The feline yowled again and Adam kicked a rock over the edge, it clattered down but did nothing in ceasing the cries from the cougar. Accepting he was now stuck with a noisy roommate, Adam considered how long it was going to take for his father and brothers to come after him. It would be expected for him to not return until at least tomorrow evening but no later. They might give him to the following morning but if he wasn't back by dawn of the third day he was certain they would come find him. Unless something caused for them to start the search early. Although Adam knew he would have to help himself before completely depending on being rescued by his family. Come morning light he'd see what he could do for himself.

* * *

An intense shiver is what finally roused Adam the following morning. He gritted his teeth as it upset his arm and he then realized he was incredibly cold. The night before his body was coursing with adrenaline from the fight, the fall and his broken arm he hadn't noticed the temperature, but this morning as his breath appeared in front of him, he was all too well aware of how he wished he had a blanket from his saddle pack. Wiggling his toes to get some blood flowing in his extremities he slowly woke up and surveyed his surroundings.

The struggle to get to his feet was more painful than Adam wished but when he steadied himself he was glad to be standing. Looking up, the cliff face was shear and there was no way he'd be able to climb back up. Even if he didn't have a broken arm the rock was eroding and falling apart beneath a simple touch. There was no way it would support the weight of a full grown man. Now with sun flooding the area he looked over the edge and could see how far down ground was. It couldn't have been more than thirty or so feet, but there was no obvious way of getting down there. As Adam considered his options he realized that the cougar was no were to be seen. This unsettled him a bit; there was nothing worse than an injured mountain lion. It must have been pretty hungry to have attacked Sport and Adam the previous day and now it was hurt and probably still as hungry. Assuming it didn't get up just to go die somewhere else.

Coming to the conclusion that there was nothing else he was going to able to do but go down and double back as he was closer to the Ponderosa than those blasted cattle. And assuming that Sport still wasn't a mock horse statue, he would have headed back towards the ranch. Surveying the cliff face Adam worked out what seemed to be the best path to the bottom. Slowly he edged his way down, mostly sitting on his rear and sliding down the crumbling rock. Occasionally he'd jostle his arm and he'd have to stop and wait for the majority of the pain to subside. It was slow going but he was making headway.

Adam couldn't have had more than ten feet from the bottom when the rocks crumbled beneath his weight, sending him head first to the bottom. He went head over heels and landed square on his back. His vision went fuzzy and gasped for air as it was knocked from his lungs. Groaning and wincing, Adam laid there for a while wishing he was anywhere else at that moment, particularly at home in his bed.

Getting to his feet this time was a real struggle as he didn't have much to support himself. After a few minutes Adam steadied himself and started towards direction of the Ponderosa. He was thankful that his legs were uninjured, save for the gashes, but he was able to walk and that was all he cared about at the moment. Being able to move under his own steam was plenty of motivation to get home.

It was going to be a long trek. It had taken Adam most of the previous day to get where he was and that was on horseback. Now he was on foot, injured and had no water or food. Luckily it was a decently overcast day, but the lack of sun wasn't completely useful as a cold chill settled into his bones. Occasionally he'd shiver violently and it would cause pain to explode from his arm, resulting in him having to sit down and rest so he could collect himself. The longer he went on, the more often this happened and before he knew it the sun was setting.

As the light grew dimmer and the sun dipped down farther, the colder it got. Knowing that it would be foolish to keep going, Adam found a decent place to bunker down for the night. He had no means to make a fire, which prevented him from not only having the heat but also cooking a meal. It had been almost twenty-four hours since Adam had eaten anything and he was beginning to notice. His body was using most of its energy to stay warm and heal the damage inflicted upon it. He needed to replace the calories that his body was burning.

Before he could do anything, Adam knew he had to set his arm. He had gone most of the day with the bones misaligned. As much as he knew that it was going to be a painful task, once his arm was set it would be much less painful; as the bone would not be jarring against itself and be in proper alignment once more. He gathered some sturdy pieces of wood that had fallen that were about the size he needed. He didn't want to have to break any of them. With the cold he didn't know what fabric to give up. He needed his jacket and removing any layers was going to be a task that Adam wasn't sure if he'd be able to do. Finally deciding to sacrifice his scarf, Adam carefully and painstakingly tore it half.

Waiting a moment before starting, Adam psyched himself up for having to do this procedure to himself. He had seen plenty of bones set and had it done to himself once before. But never had he had to set a bone, let alone do it to himself. Wiping a stick on his pants he put it in his mouth to bite down on. Taking a few deep breaths, Adam quickly pushed himself against the trunk of a tree. It took three tries before he was able to get the bone to move back into place. Spitting the stick from his mouth he still cried out as he sank to his knees. The amount of pain coursing through him brought up a wave of a nausea that was difficult to hold back. Succeeding however, Adam swallowed back the bitter taste of bile and breathed heavily through his nose.

Using the sticks he had gathered earlier and the strips of his scarf, Adam made a splint. It was a pitiful excuse for a splint but it held his arm still and that was all he cared about. Replacing his belt around his neck and wrist he started settling down now that the daunting tasking as complete. He had worked up a sweat and the breeze now felt colder than before as it evaporated the perspiration on his forehead. Shivering, he needed to get warm.

Underneath an old pine tree, the eldest brother gathered up a bunch of pine needles to insulate him during the night. Snuggled into the bed of needles Adam heard himself in the back of his mind, telling him to get up and go find something to eat. But the needles offered him comfort and warmth that had been deprived him all day. Against his will he found himself slowly drifting off.

Adam's eyes opened suddenly, he looked about and had a feeling of déjà vu. It was pitch black and he couldn't see anything around him and the only thing he could hear was the whining of the injured cougar that went over the cliff's edge with him. Except this time, there wasn't a thirty foot vertical space between the two. From what Adam could decipher, the cougar was headed his direction and closing in. He sunk lower to the ground, attempting to conceal himself in the dead litter of the pine tree. His arm struck a fallen limb stuck in the ground and he bit his lip so hard to prevent himself from making a sound he could taste blood in his mouth.

Holding his arm, he realized that setting it and jamming it just now caused the injury to bleed once again. Adam closed his eyes and started considering what he needed to do. He had his revolver this time and could shoot the animal. If he did he would have to move, as the dead animal would be sure to attract other unsavory predators. He could run but not being able to see in the dark put him at a disadvantage and unaware of how the puma was actually hurt it could easily run him down. Even if he could climb a tree it would be pointless, considering the cat would be able to follow him up there. Running out of options, he decided to lay still as possible and if he had to shoot the animal then so be it. He'd relocate if he needed too.

A completely unforeseen option took place. Being that the cougar laid down on the same bed of pine needles that Adam was concealing himself with. The beast wasn't laying on top of him, but was to close for comfort. Adam could hear the panther's labored breathing. Keeping his body tense was draining his strength, there was no way he could stay like this much longer. But he didn't want to risk another confrontation with the cougar. Unable to tell how long the large feline was going to stick around, Adam had to yet again figure something out.

* * *

Unaware that he had fallen asleep, when Adam woke up it was still dark out. He couldn't have had his eyes closed for more than two or three hours. Unfortunately, the cougar had not gone. Although it seemed to take no heed of Adam's presence. The cat had to know that he was there, bloody, sweaty and covered in filth he probably smelled very interesting to the feline. Perhaps the injuries it sustained when it was tossed over the cliff's edge prevented it from wanting to get a closer look at whatever was under the pine needles. Deciding that the best thing to do was just to get moving, Adam gathered the strength and courage to get to his feet. The ascent to standing was slow going. His body was stiff and cold and the last thing he wanted to do was disturb the sleeping puma. Freezing in his tracks a few times when the large cat would move or make a noise, Adam wouldn't dare move a millimeter until he was sure that he was in no danger.

Finally, after what seemed to be a lifetime of making himself upright he started tiptoeing away from the pine tree. He looked over his shoulder and seemed to be in the clear. The moon had become brighter as he had slept and more light filtered through the trees, thus illuminating the forest floor below. Allowing Adam to make his way through without the hazard of tripping over any unseen objects. A few meters had been covered when he heard a dry twig snap under something heavy. His eyes looked down and it wasn't him, he was standing on soft grass. Feeling the hair raise on the back of his neck, his hand reflexively went to his holster as he turned at a snail's pace to look behind him.

The mountain lion was following him, walking just as carefully and quietly as Adam had been. This caused an unsettled feeling. Had the cougar been stalking him? If so, how long had he been followed for? And why hadn't the feline made its move yet? There had to have been plenty of time to take Adam down without him knowing what was going to happen. It almost seemed as if the cougar wanted him to know that he was being followed. "Nice kitty," Adam said in a soothing voice as he remained still but the panther limped closer. One of its legs must have been wounded in the fall. It seemed as if it was in pain and Adam felt a pang of unwarranted sympathy for the animal.

Shaking the feeling away he cleared his head. The cougar had almost killed him, he should draw his weapon and put a bullet between its eyes right now. The cat didn't stand a chance anymore with a broken leg anyway. And yet, Adam just stood there and watched as the cougar stopped and sat down but a few feet away from him. He was able to see the beautiful brown and tan coat, thicker as it had grown for winter. The large eyes almost seemed to reflect all the light they used to see in the darkness. Giving the illusion that they themselves were producing light. The animal was panting, clearly exerting itself just as Adam was. Revealed were the large incisors that but a day ago were inches from Adam's face.

Adam turned away from the cougar and continued onward, if he kept going from this hour he would reach the Ponderosa about midday. If he were lucky, the rest of his family would meet him halfway and Adam wouldn't have to walk the entire way. After taking a few steps, Adam realized that he wasn't walking alone again. He turned once more, the cougar was trailing along behind him. Trying to not think of it, he continued on; but with his hand on his gun. He had his fair share of dealings with mountain lions and he knew not taking them for granted. However, Adam wasn't sure if they were cunning enough to trick potential pray. Would a cougar pretend to be injured just to loll him into a false sense of security, assuming that he was safe from danger? Only to then pounce when Adam would least expect it?

A part of him didn't want to find out, his brain telling him to just shoot the animal now and not worry about it. Except, he oddly enjoyed the idea of being accompanied by the puma. A strange companion it would make, but could potentially ward off bears or wolves if those other creatures couldn't tell that the feline was injured. Deciding the only way to know was to find out if the cougar was truly injured or not. Stopping in his tracks, the cat did as well. Turing he stared at the cougar. He seemed to be full grown, at least five or six years old. Surprisingly, from what Adam could tell was that he was in decently good health. There were no scars or wounds visible, no signs of suffering from any sort of illness. Except maybe an injured leg, of course.

The gap between him and the panther closed, the closer Adam got the more he could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest. He must have been out of his mind. Suffering from a concussion or perhaps the onset of fever. No sane man would approach a mountain lion, especially one that was suspected of being injured. There was less than three feet of space between Adam and the cougar, but the animal gave no sign of moving as it sat there; watching Adam as intently as he was watching it. As he got closer, it was very obvious that the hind leg of the puma was broken. The skin was broken and surrounding fur was stained crimson. "One and the same," Adam said to the feline who just blinked.

"Except, you are absent of human claw marks in your legs and on your face." He said, reminding himself of the slash marks on his face. Gingerly he touched the three marks, they were crusted over with dried blood but the constant pain in his arm kept his mind off of his other minor injuries.

"So what do you expect is going to happen here?" He asked out loud. Having grown tired of just listening to his thoughts Adam decided to talk to the mountain lion. He was glad that no one was around to witness this because he might have been considered loony if he was caught having a conversation with an injured cougar, instead of just killing it. "I mean, do you plan on attacking me or are you just along for the company?"

Of course he got no response from the large feline but that didn't stop Adam from nodding his head a bit. "Let's just assume it's the latter."

The next two hours Adam walked with the cougar trailing but a few feet behind him. A few times the cat gained enough strength to walk almost by his side. Accepting that he wasn't going to become a meal, he would stop when the cougar would sit for a rest. Figuring he could use the time to regain his strength himself. The two were sitting beneath a tree and Adam wiped his brow, he was cold and sweating but it wasn't hot out. He knew that an infection had to be setting in. He had nothing to wrap his broken arm and parts of it were still open to the environment. He also didn't even look at the several gashes that he had over his body. The means for an infection to set in where bountiful and any pathogen jumped at the chance.

Feeling as if his energy was draining out of him and spilling onto the ground he stared at the cougar who was splayed out by Adam's feet and panting. Leaning his head back he rested against the trunk of the tree and knew he had to keep moving, but the longer he sat there the more comfortable he became and the less he could make himself get up. Going on almost two days with no food or water was also taking a steep toll on his body and mind. Obviously, since he had adopted a wounded wild animal as company.

The sky was turning to a dusty purple as the sun started to return. Adam assumed that it had to be about five in the morning. Even thinking about moving another inch was exhausting, let alone actually doing the physical motion of getting upright and walking. Adam blinked lazily at the cougar, who stared intently back at him. "We're quite the pair aren't we?" Adam said breaking the silence of the forest. "I'm sure some Indian would think me some sort of… animal whisperer." He smiled at the idea and laughed a bit. "Able to keep animals at bay and sooth even the most savage of beasts just with my voice."

He let the thought die as he turned his attention to getting something to eat. Adam needed some energy and the only way to get that was through food. There was no way he could make a fire so that ruled out any thing requiring to be cooked. Even with his gun, he couldn't cut up or skin any animal to eat with his broken arm. He needed something that he could just pick and eat. Most of the wild fruits that grew were out as they had all died off for the winter. That left whatever greens he could find. Which, with the barren land, that too was going to be slim pickings. Of course, none of that mattered if he couldn't convince himself to get to his feet.

It took about an hour for him to get the strength pick himself up off the ground but as he did the cougar was on his feet ready to follow him. "Whatever I find to eat, I'm not sharing." He quipped as he started forwards. His gait was shaky as his body begged for food and some proper rest. As Adam walked his mind wondered, he thought about nothing in specific but his mind didn't stay on one subject for too long. He thought about the Ponderosa, his father and brothers and then he would be thinking about Boston. One moment he'd remember he was supposed to be looking for something to eat and the next he'd be talking to the mountain lion.

As his attention was unfocused, Adam's toe caught a root which sent him crashing to the ground. Reflexively, Adam attempted to catch himself with his hands but that ended in disaster as he landed with full force on his broken arm. The pain almost caused him to black out, he rolled over onto his side and cradled his arm. Tears ebbed at the edges of his eyes as he smashed his teeth together, tightening the muscles of his jaw. The pain was excruciating and he finally gave into the darkness that was taking over his vision and conscious self.

* * *

When Adam regained consciousness he was alone. The cougar that had been keeping him company left to find something more interesting. As he became more aware of his surroundings, Adam wished he was still asleep. The pain in his body was renewed with a vengeance that was coupled with a fierce headache due to dehydration and the rest of his body ached from exhaustion and hunger. The sun was high in the sky at this point, it was either midday or shortly after. Meaning, Adam had slept well over six hours. The misstep ruined his plans to get back to the Ponderosa at a reasonable time. He was starting to think that he wasn't going to get back, not under his own power anyway.

Adam barely had the strength required to keep his eyes open let alone get back to his feet and walk home. He sighed deeply, dust and pine needles blew away from his mouth as Adam rolled on to his back. A shiver went down his spine and to his toes, he knew that infection had set in. He was freezing and it wasn't only due to the fact that it was wintry out. Positive if he had the energy to raise his own hand to his forehead he would feel hot and clammy. Oh, how terrible he felt. The only thing he wanted to do was lay in his bed under a dozen layers of blankets and sleep for a week. But he was basically stranded, on the land him and his family worked so hard for.

Miraculously, Adam found some sliver of strength to get to his knees but that was as far as it went. Panting through the exertion, the eldest Cartwright brother cursed quietly as he knew that he couldn't stay put. He had to at least get to an open place so he could be seen. The cover of pine trees offered warmth and protection from the wind, however, they made it difficult to be found. Especially by three people on horseback. Adam reached for a large, study stick and pushed himself into an upright position, all while praying that the piece of wood held his weight as he bared down his whole self onto it. His legs wobbled and his head was spinning but now that he was on his feet he could get moving and once he would be underway, the only thing that could stop him would be if he was struck down in his place. Or another dastardly tree root.

The simple act of walking was difficult, Adam's feet shuffled through the undergrowth and grass as he thought very deliberately about putting one foot in front of the other. The trees of the forest became fewer and sparser, soon replacing the old growing pines and oaks with saplings and brush. Stepping out into what was open land was a welcoming sight. Adam took a deep breath of the chilled winter air and felt a renewed sense of power despite still being weak from the lack of sustenance.

Despite the fact that travelling should become easier, Adam almost regretted having to leave the denseness of the pine trees. Their cover blocked the wind and added an extra layer of insulation, keeping the wary Cartwright brother just a bit warmer in his trek home. Now that he was out in the open, the chilling winter wind bit through his clothes and seemed to find every hole and tear in his wardrobe. Ahead, Adam could see the tops of the trees that were on the path to the Ponderosa. He couldn't have been more than a mile or so away from making it back to the ranch. However, as he took his first step, he fell to his knees. His body couldn't do it anymore, having gone three days without food or water, suffering from injuries and shock and now fighting an infection; every bit of energy was expended.

Slowly he lowered himself into the soft grass of the prairie, all the while his mind was yelling at his body to get up and keep moving. He was so close to the end he could sleep when he was at home, but his muscles didn't respond to his brain's demands. In fact it was quite the opposite, his body was staging a coup against his mind and slowly his eyes closed, despite his conscious mind's best attempts to get moving once more. As his mind drifted away, to a place where his body wasn't rebelling against him, Adam could have sworn he heard the thunderous clapping of horse hooves echoing through his head. Although he would never be able to confirm this thought as he finally succumbed once again to the recesses of blackness.

* * *

There was the gentle sound of deep voices murmuring and the faint smell of something sweet in the air. Adam's realization was that he was warm, covered in blankets. He wanted to smile but the comfort of warmth was soon over ridden by the pain kicking its way to the forefront of his thoughts. Adam's eyes quickly opened and he was shocked to see his bedroom and his father at the foot of the bed with Doctor Martin.

"Adam, you're awake!" Ben cried happily as he quickly maneuvered to be sitting at Adam's bedside. "How do you feel son?"

Adam attempted to respond but his throat was so parched only the sound of raspy air escaped his lips. Ben snatched the glass of water from the bed stand and carefully helped his son sip the fluid until Adam decided that he had, had enough. Thankful for the water quenching his thirst, the fluid caused his stomach to be unsettled. "I feel horrible, Pa." Adam croaked and soon turned his attention to not getting sick.

Doc Martin pulled on Ben's shirt sleeve to get his attention, he nodded his head towards the door. Ben got the hint and stood from his seat, leaving Adam once again to join the doctor in the hallway. Martin shut the door carefully before turning to Ben. He didn't wait for Ben to say anything before talking. "Your son is a lucky boy, Ben," Martin started, he rubbed the back of his neck during a pause, "But he's not safe yet. He's got a raging infection and a nasty fever to go with it. With time and dedication we can get that under control but…" He lingered on his thoughts, "His arm, Ben, the bone hasn't been set correctly, but it's already started to heal."

The eldest Cartwright's eyebrows furrowed deeply at these words. "And what does that mean?" He asked, getting to the point of the matter.

"If his arm continues to heal in the position it is in, he'll lose a majority of motion, making it useless." Ben frowned more deeply at the doctor's words and gave a gesture for him to continue. "The only thing I can do at this point is break his arm again so I can set it properly." The look of shock on Ben's face must have been obvious because Martin put his hand on Ben's shoulder. "I can sedate him to make things easier but it will still hurt."

Ben nodded slowly and glanced at Adam's bedroom door. "Well, let's get it over with. The sooner it is done, the sooner my son can get healthy again." Martin nodded, glad that Ben understood.

"You'll want to get Hoss and Little Joe up here, we'll have to restrain him." Doc added before he descended the stairs to go to his buggy so he could get the medicine and the right tools for the job. Ben sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. The last thing he wanted to do was to put his son through any more pain but he knew it would be worth it for the long run. Ben knew his son would be more than depressed for the rest of his life he lost the use of his arm all because Ben didn't want to witness him going through a fleeting moment of agony.

An hour later, the rest of the Cartwright family had gathered in Adam's room, along with Doc Martin who was administering a healthy dose of lanthanum to his patient. The procedure was explained to Adam, Martin was to fracture his arm at the break site. Unfortunately there were not many ways to break a bone to prevent discomfort, the easiest and quickest way to get the job done would be to hit Adam's arm with a hammer and hope that the weakened area will give way easier than a healed and healthy bone. Martin waited about a half an hour for the medicine to take affect before he began.

"Joe hold down his ankles, Ben, his right arm and shoulders and Hoss, I'm going to need you to hold his left arm out for me," Martin said as he directed the men to their places as he got his tool of choice. It was archaic technique, hitting his arm with a hammer but it was the only thing he could think of without using a saw. The Cartwright's held tight to their family member and Martin removed the poor split that Adam had crafted. Despite the dose of lanthanum, Adam released a moan, which was only the start. Carefully, the doctor stretched out his arm so that it was straight with his palm facing upwards. Adam groaned and clenched his jaw tightly.

"It's alright, Adam, I'm right here." Ben said as he did his best to restrain his son to prevent him from becoming more injured than needed during the procedure. Ben offered soothing words to Adam but they seemed to have little effect as his son still writhed with pain.

"Now Adam, you hold still, I want to have to do this a few times as possible." Martin said as he stood and took aim. If he was lucky the bone would fracture under the first swing of the hammer, however, there hadn't really been a time when the doctor to re-break a man's bone. Meaning he didn't have any practice in the area. Ben gave Martin a single nod, indicating for him to proceed when ready.

The first strike didn't give the results that Martin wanted. Adam howled and screamed at the pain and did his best to rip away from the grips of his brothers and father. He wanted to curl into a ball and forget that they were there. It took a few minutes to get Adam to calm down enough to restrain him once again, all the while Ben was telling him that the sooner they got this over with the sooner that he could be on his way to getting healthy. Using more force this time, Martin swung the hammer down smashing it into the bloody and open wound of Adam's arm. There was a resounding crack and he smiled a bit, knowing that the arm had broken again.

Sweat dripped from Adam's brow, Ben used a cool cloth to wipe it away. It took every ounce of Adam's will power to stay conscious, but as his vision turned fuzzy, it wasn't difficult to pass out when Doc Martin went to properly align his broken arm.

* * *

Adam remained in a semi-lucid state for the next few days, the infection in his body raged on as his wounds began to heal. It was difficult to keep anything down as his stomach rejected any and all liquid or food offered to it. It took a toll on a man's body to battle a high temperature for the week that Adam did, but he was strong and pulled through. On the morning of the sixth day, his fever broke and he woke to a pool of sweat and sunlight filtering into his room. Adam blinked, his head was killing him and he reached for the glass of water on the night stand. He was able to drink it under his own power and keep the fluid down.

Gaining strength he was able to push himself upright very slowly so he was sitting in bed. Adam examined his arm, it had a fresh bandage and splint and was bound to his chest to prevent movement. He touched his face, there was a bandage over the slash marks on his cheek and around his thighs were the cougar's claws had ripped through his skin. Carefully, he maneuvered so his legs were over the edge of his bed. There was a deep desire to get up and get out of his room, he hadn't the faintest idea of how long he had been bed ridden but Adam felt the need to join his family. Where ever they were.

As he was pushing himself up off the bed, his bedroom door opened and Little Joe appeared in the doorway. "Adam! You're up!" He spoke with obvious jubilation and quickly went to Adam's side to assist him. "But you shouldn't be out of bed, you need to rest. You've had a nasty fever the last few days."

Adam couldn't help but to smirk, he was very well aware of the infection. "I know little brother, but I can't stay in that bed another second," He said allowing Little Joe to take his weight as he found his footing. "Besides, I'd like to at least go downstairs, I'm starving."

Little Joe smiled in return, pleased to hear that his brother's appetite was back. "Fine, but if Pa yells at us, all of this was your idea." He pointed out as the two made their way from the bedroom and down the stairs to the family room. They were quickly noticed by Ben, who rose from his desk and came to their side.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Ben asked, his voice slightly chastising but also caring. Joe slowly helped Adam into one of the armchairs. "Go get him a blanket, Joe." Ben quickly added as he pulled a chair up to sit next to his son. His demeanor changed from worried to relieved when it finally dawned on Ben that his son was up and moving and not restricted to his bed. "How are you feeling, Adam?"

Adam was going to reply but waited for Little Joe to finish messing with the blanket before talking. "Tired," He said concisely as he leaned back into the chair, wary of not hitting his arm.

The front door opened and wave of cold air flooded in with the large frame of Hoss Cartwright. "Adam!" He said, noticing his brother immediately. "It's good to see you outta bed." He said shutting the door and crossing the room to stand behind their father.

"What happened to you out there, Adam?" Little Joe asked, he wasn't the only one that was curious about what Adam had experienced.

Adam recounted the tale of going to find the cattle and Sport getting spooked by something in the bushes and at first only thinking it was a rabbit but then proved to be a cougar. He explained how he was tackled by the feline and the only way he could see to win was to go over the cliff's edge, which is how he broke his arm. He then explained how he slid the rest of the way down and started for home.

"Wait just one second," Little Joe said interrupting his brother's story. "So you are trying to tell us that an injured mountain lion joined you on your trip home? And didn't attack you again?" A huge grin spread over his face. "Gosh older brother, you must have hit your head something fierce coming down that cliff." Hoss smiled, agreeing that it was a rather incredulous story.

"Now boys," Ben said piping up. "If that is how Adam said it happened, then that's how it happened!" He said defending his eldest son. The two younger sons quieted down but were still grinning, waiting to tease Adam about his large feline friend later.

"Thank you, Pa." Adam said as he glanced at his brothers, "But when I woke up after I tripped in the forest the cougar was gone, then shortly after you all found me." Adam looked at his feet, getting lost in thought, thinking about where that cat was now. A part of him hoped that it would be okay, but with winter coming and a broken leg, he knew that the cougar didn't stand a chance to other predators.

It was silent for a moment until Little Joe spoke up, "Yeah, I'm sure it is. And besides, I'm sure it was a very nice mountain lion, when are you going to bring her home dinner, Adam?" Little Joe teased, causing even Ben to stifle a smile.

"You just wait until I'm strong enough to get out of this chair and then we'll see who's laughing," Adam said pointing a finger at his youngest brother.

Little Joe went to make another comment but Ben pushed him away, telling both Hoss and Joe to go wash up for dinner. Little Joe begrudgingly agreed as he followed Hoss up the stairs. "We're just glad that you are home, son." Ben said as he carefully put a hand on Adam's shoulder.

Smiling up at his father, Adam nodded. "I couldn't agree more."


End file.
